Hail Hekate

 

"Yes, lend me your hand I pray,
 And reveal to me the pathways of divine guidance that I long for.
 Then shall I gaze upon that precious Light
 Whence I can flee the evil of our dark origin.

Yes, lend me your hand I pray,
 And when I am weary, bring me to the haven of piety with your winds.
 Hail, many-named mother of the Gods, whose children are fair
 Hail, mighty Hekate of the Threshold."

 

 

 

(Hekate relief, Thera, 200 BCE. Athens National Archaeological Museum. Proclus Diadochus Hymn, trans. Vogt)

 

In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning

Goddess news: Roman coins unearthed

From the article:

"These include depictions of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, advancing with a shield and javelin; Fortuna, the goddess of fortune, holding a rudder; Pax, the goddess of peace; a winged thunderbolt on a throne; Roma, a female deity who personified the city of Rome, seated above a shield; and Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, holding an apple and drawing her robe to her shoulder. "

Read Article in Full

(photo copyright the British Museum)

In Praise of Yemanja

 

"Yemaya Assessu,

Assessu Yemaya

Yemaya Olodo,

Olodo Yemaya."

 

 

 

(Traditional chant honoring Her as the river flowing into the ocean,  Photo of Yemanja statue at Santa Vitoria do Palmar, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, copyright F. Bras.)

In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning

Lammas/Lughnasadh Blessings

 

Gather your harvest carefully.

It not only provides sustenance for today,

but the seeds for the following one as well.

 

 

 

 

("Harvest" painting by Z. Serebriakova,1915)

Goddess news: Roman goddess unearthed at South Shields

 
From the article:

"The dramatic discovery is a beautifully crafted miniature bronze figure of the Roman goddess Ceres which is thought to be a mount from a larger piece of furniture. Ceres was the goddess of agriculture, grain and fertility which is a highly appropriate goddess for Arbeia because it was a supply base where thousands of tons of grain were stored in granaries to feed the army stationed along Hadrian’s Wall. This is the second goddess that the WallQuest project has found at Arbeia in two years. In 2014, a local volunteer found a carved stone head of a protective goddess, or tutela.

 

Read the article in full

 

 

 

 

(photo copyright The Shields Gazette.)
 

Goddess news: Bonalu festival

"One of the central tenets of Hinduism is the concept of the Shakti, the feminine energy embodied by the universal mother who is revered in various forms across India. Currently, the mother goddess is being celebrated in the southern state of Telangana with an array of rituals that comprise the festival of Bonalu dedicated to Goddess Mahankali. The word ‘Bonalu’ means a meal or a feast in Telugu. It signifies the offering of rice cooked in milk and jaggery in new earthen pots which are presented to the goddess along with vermillion, turmeric, and bangles. . . Another important element of the festival is the ‘Rangam’ or the Oracle where a woman foretells the events of the next year by invoking the spirit of Mahankali on herself."

Read the article:

India celebrates Hindu festival to honour Goddess Mahankali

 

 

 

(photo copyright AFP/Getty)

Full Moon Blessings

Happy Buck and Thunder Full Moon in Capricorn!

May you connect deeply with the Earth Mother
and with yourself in the process.

Hymn to the Stars

 

"With holy voice I call the stars on high,

Pure sacred lights and genii of the sky.

Celestial stars, the progeny of Night,

In whirling circles beaming far your light,

Refulgent rays around the heavens ye throw,

Eternal fires, the source of all below.

With flames significant of Fate ye shine,

And aptly rule for men a path divine.

In seven bright zones ye run with wandering flames,

And heaven and earth compose your lucid frames:

With course unwearied, pure and fiery bright

Forever shining through the veil of Night.

Hail twinkling, joyful, ever wakeful fires!

Propitious shine on all my just desires;

These sacred rites regard with conscious rays,

And end our works devoted to your praise."

 

 

 

("The Hymns of Orpheus", trans. T. Taylor, photo of spiral snowflake galaxy by NASA.)

 

In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning:  Goddess Devotions

Corn Grinding Song

Corn Grinding Song

 

There towards the North,

There the fog is lying,

There the fog is lying.

In the middle stands Blue Corn

Happily, prettily, she is singing

Ha-we-ra-na na-a-se

 

There towards the West

There the fog is lying,

There the fog is lying,

In the middle stands Yellow Corn

Happily, prettily, she is singing

Ha-we-ra-na na-a-se

 

There towards the South

There the fog is lying,

There the fog is lying,

In the middle stands Red Corn

Happily, prettily, she is singing

Ha-we-ra-na na-a-se

 

There towards the East

There the fog is lying,

There the fog is lying,

In the middle stands White Corn

Happily, prettily, she is singing

Ha-we-ra-na na-a-se

 

 

 

(Traditional Tewa song-prayer. "Corn Dawn Maiden" painting by Marti Fenton, copyright reserved.)